Janet G. Travell, MD Seminar Seriessm

The seminar series is named in honor of Janet G. Travell, MD (1901–1997), a pioneer and guiding light in the study and understanding of the contribution of muscle trigger points to acute and chronic pain. Dr. Travell has been our teacher and mentor, and we are pleased that she has permitted us to recognize her achievements by naming this series of workshops and seminar programs in her honor.

In the diagnosis and management of myofascial pain we owe much to our teachers and to other clinicians and researchers, who have worked diligently in this field for years. We are especially indebted to Dr. Janet G. Travell and Dr. David Simons (1922–2010). In 1981, Travell and Simons published the first trigger point hypothesis. Eventually, Dr. Simons became the driving force behind writing the Trigger Point Manuals, which have been translated into many foreign languages. Drs. Gerwin and Dommerholt had the privilege to working and studying with both Dr. Travell and Simons. Together with Dr. Simons, Dr. Dommerholt became co-author of a literature review column on myofascial trigger points for the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain. In 2009, Dr. Simons handed the authorship over to Dr. Dommerholt.